Coed y Brenin finishes trail rebuild

Water erosion from the road above and heavy use where red, green and black trails join meant the trail had become slow and technical, according to new Forestry Commission ranger Andy Braund.
Repairs have restored the trail to its faster, swoopy self, Andy said. “It’s looking pretty good now, we’ve put in berms, table tops, hip jumps.”

And for those who liked the more technical elements of the trail, this is just the end of the beginning: “The bottom section remains rocky,” Andy says. “And the top surface tends to wear away over the course of a year, exposing the rocks, so it’ll change and become rockier. But you’re never going to please everyone.”

As well as rebuilds, the Forestry Commission has plans to build new trails at Coed y Brenin, including a blue route. “We have a family, green trail, red and black trails, but we want to develop something to bridge between from beginner to more expert.

“Initial work has been done at looking at the blue trail, a route has been laid out and we’re now looking at funding. It probably takes about 12-18 months to get something up and running, because the project has to be put out to tender, planning permission applied for.”